Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

¹After these things Jesus revealed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He revealed Himself in this way:

²Simon Peter, Thomas who was called Didymus, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.

³Simon Peter *said to them, “I am going fishing.” They *said to him, “We are also coming with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.

⁴But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

⁵So Jesus *said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish to eat, do you?” They answered Him, “No.”

⁶And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find the fish.” So they cast it, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great quantity of fish.

⁷Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved *said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea.

⁸But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about two hundred cubits away, dragging the net full of fish.

⁹So when they got out on the land, they *saw a charcoal fire already made and fish placed on it, and bread.

¹⁰Jesus *said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.”

¹¹So Simon Peter went up and hauled the net to land, full of large fish, 153; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

¹²Jesus *said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to inquire of Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord.

¹³Jesus *came and *took the bread and *gave it to them, and the fish likewise.

¹⁴This was now the third time that Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.

¹⁵Now when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do youlove Me more than these?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Tend My lambs.”

¹⁶He *said to him again, a second time, “Simon, son of John, do youlove Me?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.”

¹⁷He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do youlove Me?” Peter was hurt because He said to him the third time, “Do youlove Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep.

¹⁸Truly, truly I tell you, when you were younger, you used to put on your belt and walk wherever you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will put your belt on you, and bring you where you do not want to go.”

¹⁹Now He said this, indicating by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had said this, He *said to him, “Follow Me!”

²⁰Peter turned around and *saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them—the one who also had leaned back on His chest at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who is betraying You?”

²¹So Peter, upon seeing him, *said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?”

²²Jesus *said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”

²³Therefore this account went out among the brothers, that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”

²⁴This is the disciple who is testifying about these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

²⁵But there are also many other things which Jesus did, which, if they were written in detail, I expect that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.

¹Now from the violet, purple, and scarlet material they made finely woven garments for ministering in the Holy Place, as well as the holy garments which were for Aaron, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

²He made the ephod of gold and of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen.

³Then they hammered out gold sheets and cut them into threads to be woven in with the violet, the purple, and the scarlet material, and the fine linen, the work of a skilled embroiderer.

⁴They made attaching shoulder pieces for the ephod; it was attached at its two upper ends.

⁵And the skillfully woven band of its overlay which was on it was like its workmanship, of the same material: of gold and of violet, purple, and scarlet material, and fine twisted linen, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

⁶They also made the onyx stones, set in gold filigree settings; they were engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel.

⁷And he placed them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

⁸And he made the breastpiece, the work of a skilled embroiderer, like the workmanship of the ephod: of gold and of violet, purple, and scarlet material and fine twisted linen.

⁹It was square; they made the breastpiece folded double, a span long and a span wide when folded double.

¹⁰And they mounted four rows of stones on it. The first row was a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald;

¹¹and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;

¹²and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;

¹³and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were set in gold filigree settings when they were mounted.

¹⁴The stones corresponded to the names of the sons of Israel; they were twelve, corresponding to their names, engraved with the engravings of a signet, each with its name for the twelve tribes.

¹⁵And they made for the breastpiece chains like cords, work of twisted cords of pure gold.

¹⁶They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece.

¹⁷Then they put the two gold cords in the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece.

¹⁸And they put the other two ends of the two cords on the two filigree settings, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it.

¹⁹They made two gold rings and placed them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inner edge which was next to the ephod.

²⁰Furthermore, they made two gold rings and placed them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it, close to the place where it joined, above the woven band of the ephod.

²¹And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a violet cord, so that it would be on the woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece would not come loose from the ephod, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

²²Then he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of violet;

²³and the opening of the robe was at the top in the center, as the opening of a coat of mail, with a binding all around its opening, so that it would not be torn.

²⁴And they made pomegranates of violet, purple, and scarlet material and twisted linen on the hem of the robe.

²⁵They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around on the hem of the robe,

²⁶alternating a bell and a pomegranate all around on the hem of the robe for the service, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

²⁷They also made the tunics of finely woven linen for Aaron and his sons,

²⁸and the turban of fine linen, and the decorated caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twisted linen,

²⁹and the sash of fine twisted linen, and violet, purple, and scarlet material, the work of the weaver, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

³⁰They also made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and inscribed it like the engravings of a signet, “Holy to the LORD.”

³¹Then they fastened a violet cord to it, to fasten it on the turban above, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

³²So all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was completed; and the sons of Israel did according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses; so they did.

³³Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings: its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its bases;

³⁴and the covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and the covering of fine leather, and the covering curtain;

³⁵the ark of the testimony, its poles, and the atoning cover;

³⁶the table, all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence;

³⁷the pure gold lampstand, with its arrangement of lamps and all its utensils, and the oil for the light;

³⁸and the gold altar, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the doorway of the tent;

³⁹the bronze altar and its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils, the basin and its stand;

⁴⁰the hangings for the courtyard, its pillars and its bases, and the curtain for the gate of the courtyard, its ropes and its pegs, and all the equipment for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting;

⁴¹the woven garments for ministering in the Holy Place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to serve as priests.

⁴²So the sons of Israel did all the work according to everything that the LORD had commanded Moses.

⁴³And Moses examined all the work, and behold, they had done it; just as the LORD had commanded, this they had done. So Moses blessed them.

¹I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? Far from it! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

²God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?

³“Lord, THEY HAVE KILLED YOUR PROPHETS, THEY HAVE TORN DOWN YOUR ALTARS, AND I ALONE AM LEFT, AND THEY ARE SEEKING MY LIFE.”

⁴But what is the divine response to him? “I HAVE KEPT for Myself SEVEN THOUSAND MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL.”

⁵In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.

⁶But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, since otherwise grace is no longer grace.

⁷What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened;

⁸just as it is written: “GOD GAVE THEM A SPIRIT OF STUPOR, EYES TO SEE NOT AND EARS TO HEAR NOT, DOWN TO THIS VERY DAY.”

⁹And David says, “MAY THEIR TABLE BECOME A SNARE AND A TRAP, AND A STUMBLING BLOCK AND A RETRIBUTION TO THEM.

¹⁰MAY THEIR EYES BE DARKENED TO SEE NOT, AND BEND THEIR BACKS CONTINUALLY.”

¹¹I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? Far from it! But by their wrongdoing salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.

¹²Now if their wrongdoing proves to be riches for the world, and their failure, riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!

¹³But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Therefore insofar as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry

¹⁴if somehow I may move my own people to jealousy and save some of them.

¹⁵For if their rejection proves to be the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

¹⁶If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are as well.

¹⁷But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree,

¹⁸do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.

¹⁹You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.”

²⁰Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear;

²¹for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.

²²See then the kindness and severity of God: to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; for otherwise you too will be cut off.

²³And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again.

²⁴For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?

²⁵For I do not want you, brothers and sisters, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;

²⁶and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written: “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.”

²⁷“THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.”

²⁸In relation to the gospel they are enemies on your account, but in relation to God’s choice they are beloved on account of the fathers;

²⁹for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

³⁰For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience,

³¹so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.

³²For God has shut up all in disobedience, so that He may show mercy to all.

³³Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

³⁴For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR?

³⁵Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM, THAT IT WOULD BE PAID BACK TO HIM?

³⁶For from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

¹My brothers and sisters, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.

²For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in bright clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in,

³and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the bright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,”

⁴have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?

⁵Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters: did God not choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

⁶But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?

⁷Do they not blaspheme the good name by which you have been called?

⁸If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well.

⁹But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as violators.

¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole Law, yet stumbles in one point, has become guilty of all.

¹¹For He who said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do murder, you have become a violator of the Law.

¹²So speak, and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom.

¹³For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

¹⁴What use is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

¹⁵If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,

¹⁶and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

¹⁷In the same way, faith also, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

¹⁸But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

¹⁹You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

²⁰But are you willing to acknowledge, you foolish person, that faith without works is useless?

²¹Was our father Abraham not justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?

²²You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;

²³and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called a friend of God.

²⁴You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

²⁵In the same way, was Rahab the prostitute not justified by works also when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

²⁶For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

¹Job again took up his discourse and said,

²“As God lives, who has taken away my right, And the Almighty, who has embittered my soul,

³For as long as life is in me, And the breath of God is in my nostrils,

⁴My lips certainly will not speak unjustly, Nor will my tongue mutter deceit.

⁵Far be it from me that I should declare you right; Until I die, I will not give up my integrity.

⁶I have kept hold of my righteousness and will not let it go. My heart does not rebuke any of my days.

⁷“May my enemy be as the wicked, And my opponent as the criminal.

⁸For what is the hope of the godless when he makes an end of life, When God requires his life?

⁹Will God hear his cry When distress comes upon him?

¹⁰Or will he take pleasure in the Almighty? Will he call on God at all times?

¹¹I will instruct you in the power of God; What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.

¹²Behold, all of you have seen it; Why then do you talk of nothing?

¹³“This is the portion of a wicked person from God, And the inheritance which tyrants receive from the Almighty:

¹⁴Though his sons are many, they are destined for the sword; And his descendants will not be satisfied with bread.

¹⁵His survivors will be buried because of the plague, And their widows will not be able to weep.

¹⁶Though he piles up silver like dust, And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,

¹⁷He may prepare it, but the righteous will wear it And the innocent will divide the silver.

¹⁸He has built his house like the spider’s web, Or a hut which the watchman has made.

¹⁹He lies down rich, but never again; He opens his eyes, and it no longer exists.

²⁰Terrors overtake him like a flood; A storm steals him away in the night.

²¹The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; For it sweeps him away from his place.

²²For it will hurl at him without mercy; He will certainly try to flee from its power.

²³People will clap their hands at him, And will whistle at him from their places.

¹I will sing of the graciousness of the LORD forever; To all generations I will make Your faithfulness known with my mouth.

²For I have said, “Graciousness will be built up forever; In the heavens You will establish Your faithfulness.”

³“I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to My servant David,

⁴I will establish your descendants forever And build up your throne to all generations.” Selah

⁵The heavens will praise Your wonders, LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

⁶For who in the skies is comparable to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty is like the LORD,

⁷A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, And awesome above all those who are around Him?

⁸LORD God of armies, who is like You, mighty LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You.

⁹You rule the surging of the sea; When its waves rise, You calm them.

¹⁰You Yourself crushed Rahab like one who is slain; You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

¹¹The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all it contains, You have established them.

¹²The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.

¹³You have a strong arm; Your hand is mighty, Your right hand is exalted.

¹⁴Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before You.

¹⁵Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! LORD, they walk in the light of Your face.

¹⁶In Your name they rejoice all the day, And by Your righteousness they are exalted.

¹⁷For You are the glory of their strength, And by Your favor our horn is exalted.

¹⁸For our shield belongs to the LORD, And our king to the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁹Once You spoke in vision to Your godly ones, And said, “I have given help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.

²⁰I have found My servant David; With My holy oil I have anointed him,

²¹With whom My hand will be established; My arm also will strengthen him.

²²The enemy will not deceive him, Nor will the son of wickedness afflict him.

²³But I will crush his adversaries before him, And strike those who hate him.

²⁴My faithfulness and My favor will be with him, And in My name his horn will be exalted.

²⁵I will also place his hand on the sea, And his right hand on the rivers.

²⁶He will call to Me, ‘You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.’

²⁷I will also make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth.

²⁸I will maintain My favor for him forever, And My covenant shall be confirmed to him.

²⁹So I will establish his descendants forever, And his throne as the days of heaven.

³⁰“If his sons abandon My Law And do not walk in My judgments,

³¹If they violate My statutes And do not keep My commandments,

³²Then I will punish their wrongdoing with the rod, And their guilt with afflictions.

³³But I will not withhold My favor from him, Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.

³⁴I will not violate My covenant, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.

³⁵Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David.

³⁶His descendants shall endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me.

³⁷It shall be established forever like the moon, And a witness in the sky is faithful.” Selah

³⁸But You have rejected and refused, You have been full of wrath against Your anointed.

³⁹You have repudiated the covenant of Your servant; You have profaned his crown in the dust.

⁴⁰You have broken down all his walls; You have brought his strongholds to ruin.

⁴¹All who pass along the way plunder him; He has become a disgrace to his neighbors.

⁴²You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries; You have made all his enemies rejoice.

⁴³You also turn back the edge of his sword, And have not made him stand in battle.

⁴⁴You have put an end to his splendor And cast his throne to the ground.

⁴⁵You have shortened the days of his youth; You have covered him with shame. Selah

⁴⁶How long, LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath burn like fire?

⁴⁷Remember what my lifespan is; For what futility You have created all the sons of mankind!

⁴⁸What man can live and not see death? Can he save his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah

⁴⁹Where are Your former acts of favor, Lord, Which You swore to David in Your faithfulness?

⁵⁰Remember, Lord, the taunt against Your servants; How I carry in my heart the taunts of all the many peoples,

⁵¹With which Your enemies have taunted, LORD, With which they have taunted the footsteps of Your anointed.

⁵²Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and Amen.

¹Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring.

²Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.

³A stone is heavy and the sand weighty, But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them.

⁴Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, But who can stand before jealousy?

⁵Better is open rebuke Than love that is concealed.

⁶Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.

⁷A satisfied person despises honey, But to a hungry person any bitter thing is sweet.

⁸Like a bird that wanders from its nest, So is a person who wanders from his home.

⁹Oil and perfume make the heart glad, And a person’s advice is sweet to his friend.

¹⁰Do not abandon your friend or your father’s friend, And do not go to your brother’s house on the day of your disaster; Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away.

¹¹Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, So that I may reply to one who taunts me.

¹²A prudent person sees evil and hides himself; But the naive proceed, and pay the penalty.

¹³Take his garment when he becomes a guarantor for a stranger; And for a foreign woman seize a pledge from him.

¹⁴One who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, It will be considered a curse to him.

¹⁵A constant dripping on a day of steady rain And a contentious woman are alike;

¹⁶He who would restrain her restrains the wind, And grasps oil with his right hand.

¹⁷As iron sharpens iron, So one person sharpens another.

¹⁸One who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit, And one who cares for his master will be honored.

¹⁹As in water a face reflects the face, So the heart of a person reflects the person.

²⁰Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, Nor are the eyes of a person ever satisfied.

²¹The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, And each is tested by the praise accorded him.

²²Though you pound the fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, His foolishness still will not leave him.

²³Know well the condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds;

²⁴For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations.

²⁵When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in,

²⁶The lambs will be for your clothing, And the goats will bring the price of a field,

²⁷And there will be enough goats’ milk for your food, For the food of your household, And sustenance for your attendants.

¹Then David said, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul, so that I could show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

²Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they summoned him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.”

³Then the king said, “Is there no one remaining of the house of Saul to whom I could show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan, one who is disabled in both feet.”

⁴So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.”

⁵Then King David sent messengers who brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar.

⁶Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!”

⁷Then David said to him, “Do not be afraid, for I will assuredly show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you yourself shall eat at my table regularly.”

⁸Again he prostrated himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should be concerned about a dead dog like me?”

⁹Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “Everything that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson.

¹⁰You and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master’s grandson will have food to eat; nevertheless Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, shall eat at my table regularly.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

¹¹Then Ziba said to the king, “In accordance with everything that my lord the king commands his servant, so your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons.

¹²Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth.

¹³So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he ate at the king’s table regularly. And he was disabled in his two feet.

¹“Woe to the shepherds who are causing the sheep of My pasture to perish and are scattering them!” declares the LORD.

²Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel says concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not been concerned about them; behold, I am going to call you to account for the evil of your deeds,” declares the LORD.

³“Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply.

⁴I will also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD.

⁵“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land.

⁶In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will live securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD Our Righteousness.’

⁷“Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought the sons of Israel up from the land of Egypt,’

⁸but, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up and led the descendants of the household of Israel back from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.”

⁹As for the prophets: My heart is broken within me, All my bones tremble; I have become like a drunken man, And like a man overcome by wine, Because of the LORD And because of His holy words.

¹⁰For the land is full of adulterers; For the land mourns because of the curse. The pastures of the wilderness have dried up. Their course is evil And their might is not right.

¹¹“For both prophet and priest are defiled; Even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares the LORD.

¹²“Therefore their way will be like slippery paths to them, They will be driven away into the gloom and fall down in it; For I will bring disaster upon them, The year of their punishment,” declares the LORD.

¹³“Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an offensive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led My people Israel astray.

¹⁴Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: The committing of adultery and walking in deceit; And they strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one has turned back from his wickedness. All of them have become to Me like Sodom, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.

¹⁵Therefore this is what the LORD of armies says concerning the prophets: ‘Behold, I am going to feed them wormwood And make them drink poisonous water, For from the prophets of Jerusalem Ungodliness has spread into all the land.’ ”

¹⁶This is what the LORD of armies says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They tell a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the LORD.

¹⁷They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD has said, “You will have peace” ’; And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, They say, ‘Disaster will not come on you.’

¹⁸But who has stood in the council of the LORD, That he should see and hear His word? Who has paid attention to His word and listened?

¹⁹Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone forth in wrath, Even a whirling tempest; It will swirl down on the head of the wicked.

²⁰The anger of the LORD will not turn back Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; In the last days you will clearly understand it.

²¹I did not send these prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied.

²²But if they had stood in My council, Then they would have announced My words to My people, And would have turned them back from their evil way And from the evil of their deeds.

²³“Am I a God who is near,” declares the LORD, “And not a God far off?

²⁴Can a person hide himself in hiding places So that I do not see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.

²⁵“I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name, saying, ‘I had a dream, I had a dream!’

²⁶How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, these prophets of the deceitfulness of their own heart,

²⁷who intend to make My people forget My name by their dreams which they report to one another, just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal?

²⁸The prophet who has a dream may report his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word truthfully. What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the LORD.

²⁹“Is My word not like fire?” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?

³⁰Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the LORD, “who steal My words from each other.

³¹Behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the LORD, “who use their tongues and declare, ‘The Lord declares!’

³²Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,” declares the LORD, “and reported them and led My people astray by their lies and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them nor command them, nor do they provide this people the slightest benefit,” declares the LORD.

³³“Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you, saying, ‘What is the pronouncement of the LORD?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What pronouncement?’ The LORD declares, ‘I will abandon you.’

³⁴Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, ‘The pronouncement of the LORD,’ I will bring punishment upon that person and his household.

³⁵This is what each one of you will say to his neighbor and to his brother: ‘What has the LORD answered?’ or, ‘What has the LORD spoken?’

³⁶For you will no longer remember the pronouncement of the LORD, because every person’s own word will become the pronouncement, and you have perverted the words of the living God, the LORD of armies, our God.

³⁷This is what you will say to that prophet: ‘What has the LORD answered you?’ and, ‘What has the LORD spoken?’

³⁸And if you say, ‘The pronouncement of the LORD!’ for that reason the LORD says this: ‘Because you said this word, “The pronouncement of the LORD!” I have also sent word to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The pronouncement of the LORD!’ ” ’

³⁹Therefore behold, I will certainly forget you and thrust you away from My presence, along with the city which I gave you and your fathers.

⁴⁰I will put an everlasting disgrace on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten.”

¹But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,

²and kept back some of the proceeds for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet.

³But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the proceeds of the land?

⁴While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.”

⁵And as he heard these words, Ananias collapsed and died; and great fear came over all who heard about it.

⁶The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.

⁷Now an interval of about three hours elapsed, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

⁸And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for this price?” And she said, “Yes, for that price.”

⁹Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.”

¹⁰And immediately she collapsed at his feet and died; and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

¹¹And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard about these things.

¹²At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all together in Solomon’s portico.

¹³But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem.

¹⁴And increasingly believers in the Lord, large numbers of men and women, were being added to their number,

¹⁵to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any of them.

¹⁶The people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together as well, bringing people who were sick or tormented with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.

¹⁷But the high priest stood up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy.

¹⁸They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public prison.

¹⁹But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and leading them out, he said,

²⁰“Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple area the whole message of this Life.”

²¹Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple area about daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest and his associates came, they called the Council together, that is, all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison for them to be brought.

²²But the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned and reported,

²³saying, “We found the prison locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”

²⁴Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this.

²⁵But someone came and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple area and teaching the people!”

²⁶Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).

²⁷When they had brought them, they had them stand before the Council. The high priest interrogated them,

²⁸saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this Man’s blood upon us.”

²⁹But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

³⁰The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you put to death by hanging Him on a cross.

³¹He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

³²And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

³³But when they heard this, they became infuriated and nearly decided to execute them.

³⁴But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time.

³⁵And he said to them, “Men of Israel, be careful as to what you are about to do with these men.

³⁶For, some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.

³⁷After this man, Judas of Galilee appeared in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he also perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.

³⁸And so in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone, for if the source of this plan or movement is men, it will be overthrown;

³⁹but if the source is God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”

⁴⁰They followed his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them.

⁴¹So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.

⁴²And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and preaching the good news of Jesus as the Christ.